Fragments
by Lazerwolf314
Summary: The irony of the situation wasn't lost on him, even as he lay dying next to the woman he loved. The last thing he ever felt was her cool lips on his. It tore her heart to pieces that there was nothing she could do to save him.
1. Fragments

**This is a really sad story, but I really love it (and I love Sam even though it doesn't seem like it at the moment...) and I hope you do to. Please, with so many cherries on top, let me know what you think. This was written for Prompt Set 1 ~ Sad Songs on the forum, The Nook. Please stop by and check it out some time. We have discussions, challenges and prompts for everyone.**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Flashpoint.**

**Prompt: Lime Tree ~ Bright Eyes**

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><p><em>I keep floating down the river but the ocean never comes<br>Since the operation I heard you're breathing just for one  
>Now everything is imaginary, especially what you love<br>You left another message said it's done,  
>It's done<em>

The first thing that registered was the sharp burst of pain in his side. It was like a starburst, spreading like a wild fire across his chest and making it impossible to think for that split second. Even as he looked down in stunned confusion, the shot continued to ring in his ears. Red, such a vibrant and brilliant color of red, was spreading slowly, a stark contrast to his white shirt.

There was a moment of absolute clarity before his knees gave out. Everything snapped into focus, every detail became over exaggerated. All it was was peaceful. Then the moment was shattered and he crashed to the floor. Landing on his side, he rolled onto his back to look up at the harsh lights. Above him, the man was shouting again, saying something that became muffled against his ears.

As the lights spun in front of his eyes, he was suddenly transported back to the war. He remembered with perfect clarity when the IED had nearly taken out the entire unit. His vest had taken the brunt of the blast, knocking the air from his lungs and fracturing a few ribs. But what he recalled the easiest was the feeling of fire eating his leg when he realized that he had been hit by a tiny piece of shrapnel. That was miniscule to what he felt now.

_When I hear beautiful music it's always from another time  
>Old friends I never visit, I remember what they're like<br>Standing on a doorstep full of nervous butterflies  
>Waiting to be asked to come inside<br>Just come inside_

He felt a dull vibration as something landed next to him and he turned his head weakly. It was her, crouching beside him with shinning tears in her eyes. Her beautiful brown eyes. He lifted his hand weakly, wanting nothing more than to wipe away the drop of moisture that had fallen. He had made it halfway to her cheek before she caught it in her own and gently lowered it.

Before he could protest, she whispered, "shhh Sam. It's okay. Everything's going to be okay. You need to save your strength. Just stay with me." Another bolt of pain raced through him as she carefully placed her free hand over the wound, her hand becoming covered in his blood.

Even as he choked on a foreign liquid in his mouth, he got the words out. "Jules… I- I love you."

_But I keep going out_  
><em>I can't sleep next to a stranger when I'm coming down<em>  
><em>It's 8 a.m. my heart is beating too loud<em>  
><em>Too loud<em>  
><em>Don't be so amazing or I'll miss you too much<em>  
><em>I felt something that I had never touched<em>

She let out a strangled sob and looked away. Seeing her hand in his blood, he recalled having his hands coated in her blood. There was no way he could ever forget that. At the hospital, he had scrubbed at his hands for what felt like hours, but the sickening feeling of the red on them never seemed to cease. No matter how hard he had washed, he could still feel it on him.

It was getting harder and harder to breathe. There was something sloshing around in his lungs and a rattling could be heard every time he inhaled. He knew that she could hear it because she would flinch each time he took a breath.

There was a fuzziness slowly encroaching on his vision and black danced around the edges, taunting him as he lay there. He closed his eyes slowly, but squeezed her hand with as much strength as he could to let her know he was still there. There was a pause, a sniffle and then an answering squeeze, which prompted a smile to dance around his lips.

_Everything gets smaller now the further that I go_  
><em>Towards the mouth and the reunion of the Known and the Unknown<em>  
><em>Consider yourself lucky if you think of it as home<em>  
><em>You can move mountains with your misery if you don't<em>  
><em>If you don't<em>

He still couldn't believe that he had been shot at a grocery store. The irony of it made his heart heavy. Every single day, they went out and faced the worst the city had to offer. They chased down drug dealers, dealt with bombs all the way to snipers. Each day was a whole new challenge. And yet, here he was, drowning in his own blood on the floor of the cake mix isle. All he had wanted to do was to do something normal with his girlfriend, the woman he loved, like help her make a cake and grocery shop.

Feeling his heart pick up the pace as his breathing quickened, he knew it would be over soon. The fear had long evaporated, leaving him with an odd sense of numbness. From the muffled sounds of crying, he could tell she could feel it as well.

With one last push of strength, he opened his eyes a slit to stare up at her. The tears had come in full force, streaking her cheeks, but she met his gaze steadily. Sensing what he needed; what she needed, she leaned in close.

"I love you too." The last thing he felt were her cool lips on his.

_It comes to me in fragments, even those still split in two_  
><em>Under the leaves of that old Lime Tree I stood examining the fruit<em>  
><em>Some were ripe and some were rotten, I felt nauseous with the truth<em>  
><em>There will never be a time more opportune<em>

Standing in the shadows, he stood watching her as she remained hunched over his body. She was shaking as she closed his eyes gently and then simply collapsed against him. He stepped towards her, just as a shot from outside shattered the window into a thousand tiny fragments and the man responsible tumbled over.

Placing a hand lightly on her shoulder, he felt her jerk. He crouched down as she lifted her head and looked around wildly. Leaning in, he pressed his lips to her hair and murmured, "Be strong. Don't forget me." She shivered brokenly and finally fixed her eyes right where he was. Her mouth began to open, but before any sound emerged, there was a crackle of glass and a string of shouts behind them.

He stood and stepped back just as, Team One rushed in. He watched as Greg gathered her close, pulling her away from his body as Ed stared down at the shell of what he once was. Spike and Wordy both paused when they saw him and quickly turned to Sarg and Jules, offering what comfort they could. Eventually Ed joined them and they circled around her, silently giving each other support.

A sad smiled played along Sam's cold lips as he watched them. They stood like that for a long time, long enough for him to realize that they would keep her together, that they wouldn't let her fall. Every single one of them would make sure the others would stay strong.

Slowly, he turned and stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked up into the beautiful light. She would keep him alive in her memory; they all would, and that's all he needed.

_So I just won't be late_  
><em>The window closes, shock rolls over in a tidal wave<em>  
><em>And all the color drains out of the frame<em>  
><em>So pleased with a daydream that now living is no good<em>  
><em>I took off my shoes and walked into the woods<em>  
><em>I felt lost and found with every step I took<em>


	2. Shards

_After receiving such a response from Fragments, I decided to write the companion to it in Jules point of view. In the future, there may be one from Greg's view as well, but that it is still shaky. I don't want to overuse the topic. Anyway, please let me know what you think, as your reviews are what spur me to write. And as always, to all flashpoint addicts, please stop by and check out the Nook. We have discussions, challenges and prompts for everyone. (A note for the song; I believe this would be what Sam would say to Jules during the event.)_

_Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Flashpoint._

_Song: I Will Remember You by Sarah McLachlan. _

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><p><em>I will remember you<br>Will you remember me?  
>Don't let your life pass you by<br>Weep not for the memories_

The shot was still ringing in her ears. Even as she instinctively tensed and closed her eyes, the sound bounced around in her head. It stayed there, taunting, while she felt herself brace and wait for the pain of the shot. But it never came. Sucking in a breath, there was the smallest second of utter relief when she was simply grateful that she hadn't been hit. Then she felt something fall to the ground and her eyes shot open.

Everything froze. For that one instant, when she stared down at him, at the bright red that stained his shirt, all motion ceased, sounds dulled and her mind went blank. Nearby, the man had begun shouting at the other hostages to stay back and he waved the gun around wildly, but she couldn't focus on what was happening.

In her haze, it didn't register that her legs had buckled beneath her until she landed next to him. His eyes were open, but they were far away in some other place. Her own prickled with a hot liquid as she stared unwillingly at the blood that seeped onto the floor. One managed to trickle free before she noticed.

_Remember the good times that we had?  
>I let them slip away from us when things got bad<br>How clearly I first saw you smilin' in the sun  
>Wanna feel your warmth upon me, I wanna be the one<em>

Suddenly, his head turned to the side and he looked up at her, his burning gaze shooting straight through her soul. A rush of emotions swamped her, making her hands tremble as she looked down at him. There was a movement in the corner of her vision as she turned her head just enough to watch his hand slowly lift and make its way upwards. When it was halfway to her cheek, she realized what he was doing and caught it gently in her own.

When she saw the argument light in his dazed eyes, she whispered, "shhh Sam. It's okay. Everything's going to be okay. You need to save your strength. Just stay with me." Reaching out with a shaking hand, she pressed her free hand against the wound and instantly felt the blood ooze between her fingers.

He made a soft choking noise before he managed to murmured, "Jules… I- I love you." The horrible red was streaming from the corners of his mouth as he spoke. A strangled soft ripped from her throat and she had to avert her gaze.

_I'm so tired but I can't sleep  
>Standin' on the edge of something much too deep<br>It's funny how we feel so much but we cannot say a word  
>We are screaming inside, but we can't be hear<em>

Looking down at one hand coated in his blood and the other clutching his limp one, she wondered what it had felt like for him when they had been up on that roof. Did he have this overwhelming sense of panic that seemed to eat away her insides? Up until now, she was thankful she had been absent during the ordeal the rest of the team had been through while she had been undergoing surgery.

A soft rattling sound met her ears and she realized that it was coming from him. Every single breath he took was rewarded with that haunting sound, so terrible that she flinched every single time.

She felt a soft pressure in her hand and realized that he was squeezing it with all his strength. She tried to meet his eyes, but noticed that they had closed and she let out a soft sob. Clenching her fingers tightly, she squeezed back and she was rewarded by seeing a slight smile dance around his lips.

_I'm so afraid to love you, but more afraid to loose  
>Clinging to a past that doesn't let me choose<br>Once there was a darkness, deep and endless night  
>You gave me everything you had, oh you gave me light<em>

As she crouched there, she was transported back to her home town. Every moment of that night was still vivid in her mind. Her brother Collin screaming at her to brace, the white blur of lights and the horrible crunching sound as the truck was slammed by a transport. The world had quite literally spun then, fracturing her life in a matter of seconds. She could still remember the feel of her brother's blood staining her hands. It had taken years for her to put the pieces of herself back together. At this moment in time, that breaking was paled in comparison to now.

Hot liquid surged of her hands as his heart began to pick up the pace and she looked down in time to see that it had turned black; his lifeblood coating her hands. She could feel his life leaching away just beyond her fingertips and it pulled at her soul, draining it along with that horrible red river that had spread across the floor. Fighting back the tears was useless now; they burned trails down her cheeks as she sobbed.

A tiny shudder ran through him and his eyes opened to slits, the beautiful blue orbs staring up at her. He seemed to search her face; his expression saying a million words at once. She instantly sensed what he was asking and leaned down, her forehead pressing to his.

"I love you too." She whispered and pressed her lips to his in time to feel his heart stop.

_And I will remember you  
>Will you remember me?<br>Don't let your life pass you by  
>Weep not for the memories<em>

All the strength left her body when the breath left his, leaving her curled over him and shaking beyond her control. Numbly, she reached out and gently closed his eyes, before collapsing entirely onto him. In the back of her mind, her ears registered the sound of the shot, but her brain was too stunned to process it.

Suddenly, she felt a cool pressure on her shoulder and she jerked. Looking around wildly, she could see nothing near her that could've caused her to feel the light touch, but then she heard him whisper. "Be strong. Don't forget me." A broken shiver raced through her and her eyes fixed onto a place right next to her. She could've sworn she saw the ghostly outline of his broad shoulders beside her. Opening her mouth, she was about to say something, but a crackle of glass and shouts distracted her.

Feeling the cool touch pull away, she was struck once again with a bone deep wrench of loss. In her lost state, she didn't even realize that the rest of Team One where there until Greg had pulled her up and away from Sam. She found herself pressed tightly to her chest, Spike and Wordy beside them, trying to offer comfort. Her mind was blank as she stood there, surrounded by her team; her family, as she was lost in some far region of her mind.

No words were passed between them as they formed a silent circle around her, their quiet strength keeping her from falling to pieces. She didn't know how much time passed, just that there was a hollow space where her heart had once been. But she remembered his words. She remembered the last request he had asked of her and vowed to honour it. She could never forget him. Neither would the team. In their thoughts, he would continue to live. And for the moment, that was good enough for her.

_Weep not for the memories_


End file.
